Pleased with the success of a House of Representatives campaign to garner support opposing a federal $100-per-flight user fee for general aviation, Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.) encouraged Sun ’n Fun International Fly-In & Expo attendees to assure that their representative and senators are members of the respective GA caucuses.

An AOPA-backed bill to provide liability protection to owners of private airstrips in Oregon was scheduled for a legislative committee hearing April 12. AOPA encourages members to weigh in with lawmakers and urge their support.

AOPA President Craig Fuller and Lightspeed Aviation President Allan Schrader announce the finalists for the Lightspeed Aviation Foundation Pilot’s Choice Awards. To applause and laughter, the Lightspeed Aviation Foundation announced the finalists for its annual Pilot’s Choice Awards grants program on April 11 at the Sun ’n Fun International Fly-In & Expo.

A state-owned airfield in the Florida Panhandle could become a recreational destination for pilots if the nonprofit Recreational Aviation Foundation and the Florida Forest Service complete an expected agreement on access in the next few months. The Montana-based Recreational Aviation Foundation says a “let’s find a way” approach has prevailed during discussions about aircraft access to Blackwater Airfield, a 4,000-foot former firefighting grass airstrip in the Blackwater River State Forest.

More than 210 private airfields could become accessible to general aviation pilots in Arkansas if the state joins those that have passed laws providing liability protection to property owners for the recreational use of their lands.